For decades, Stuart Beverly believed what many people said -there is no lifestyle in dairy farming
Having milked in rotaries and herringbones for 35 years, his days were dictated by early mornings and late nights.
Today, working at the University of Melbourne's Dookie Dairy, Stuart has completely transformed his outlook on the industry.
Managing a robotic grazing system has not only extended his career, but it has also completely busted his believe that grazing cows won't voluntarily walk to a robot.
When farmers visit Dookie Dairy, the most common objection Stuart hears is cows simply cannot graze and be milked on a robotic system because they will refuse to walk.
The reality is cows are more than capable; it is the farm's management style that must adapt.
The primary driver behind voluntary cow movement is entirely based on feed management.
According to Stuart, the top three priorities in a robotic grazing system are ‘feed allocation, feed allocation, feed allocation’.
To facilitate this, the Dookie Dairy is divided into three distinct sections - A, B, and C - with an additional feed pad located in C section.
Stuart manages the diet to offer approximately 7.5 kilograms of dry matter every eight hours, which includes the feed provided in the milking bail.
By getting the feed allocation exactly right, the top-performing cows naturally finish grazing after six to six-and-a-half hours and are ready to walk back to the dairy, get milked, receive concentrate, and move on to the next fresh section.
Transitioning to this system requires a mental shift for traditional farmers.
Stuart had to get comfortable seeing cows scattered all over the farm - some in section A, some in the dairy, and others standing on laneways waiting for a gate change.
Rather than being a sign of chaos, a stead, 24-hour flow indicates management is perfectly dialed in.
To monitor movement, Stuart relies on the Lely Horizon management system. While he jokes that he isn't a digital farmer, he appreciates the system's data cannot lie.
He constantly looks for a green screen, monitoring rumination, cow movement, and milkings per day to ensure the herd is actively circulating.
The robotic system allows fresh cows to push themselves, milking 3 to 3.3 times a day, leading to significantly higher production than traditional setups.
Furthermore, the robots deliver 100 per cent consistency, milking every quarter evenly every single time - a feat Stuart admits no human milker can replicate, regardless of their skill level.
Most importantly, mastering this management style has given Stuart his life back.
The farm is officially staffed from 7am to 4pm, and any overnight issues are easily monitored via a phone app.
Stuart now enjoys immense flexibility; he can start his day at 8:30am and leave at 6pm, or work 6am to 2pm.
By leaving the past behind and embracing new management techniques, he has found time for fishing, (watching) sport, and a genuine work-life balance he once thought was impossible in the dairy industry.
Story supplied by Lely.